Motorist killed in pile-up due to thick fog

A motorist was killed and 10 others seriously injured in a multi-vehicle pile-up on a fog-bound dual carriageway.

he scene on the A19 motorway in County Durham this morning (Sat), where a massive pile up involving two petrol tankers, two HGVs and a car has left one person dead and several others injured,Photo: North News

By Patrick Sawer

1:46PM BST 27 Jun 2009

Police blamed drivers for driving too fast in the appalling conditions, resulting in a series of interconnected crashes which followed the initial accident on the A19, in County Durham.

A Renault car was crushed between two petrol tankers as the three vehicles travelled in a line behind each other.

Firefighters attending the accident described a scene of "absolute devastation".

It is believed the first tanker braked in the dense mist and the car was shunted into the back of it by another tanker following behind, leaving the driver of the car fatally injured.

With the car wedged between the tankers, one of which was leaking, paramedics and fire crews initially struggled to get close to the victim.

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Durham Police said the incident began with a collision on the southbound carriageway of the A19, near Peterlee, shortly before 10.15pm on Friday night.

As police were dealing with the incident on the southbound carriageway a second series of collisions involving a further 18 vehicles took place on the northbound carriageway.

A third crash then took place on the Wellfield slip road involving three vehicles, one of which was a Vauxhall Astra police car involved in directing traffic.

A police spokesman said there were not thought to be any casualties from these two subsequent incidents.

He said: "Thick fog on the east coast is thought to have been a contributory factor in what happened and police are urging drivers to avoid the area."

The spokesman said the officers on the scene reported that "too many motorists are failing to take heed of the conditions and are simply going too fast."

Firefighters were quickly on the scene as crews at nearby Peterlee Fire Station heard the initial impacts.

Dave Turnbull, the fire officer in charge, told BBC Radio Newcastle: "My crews heard a series of loud bangs.

"When they responded they found absolute devastation on the flyover adjacent to the fire station – 20 to 30 cars, a large number of HGVs, a petrol tanker and a large number of people trapped."

The North East Ambulance Service said a man, aged 47, suffered abdominal and shoulder injuries, while a 50-year-old man sustained head injuries.

They were taken to Sunderland Royal Hospital, along with two other men in their late teens and two women with two children, who all suffered minor injuries.

Two men aged 25 and 27 were taken to North Tees General Hospital with back and neck injuries,.

Mr Turnbull, the on-call Group Manager for Durham and Darlington Fire Service, said: "It could have been a lot worse. When you have a scene like that, with so many vehicles involved, it's surprising more people weren't seriously hurt."

The A19 was closed in both directions and is likely to remain closed for some time, police said.

Officers from Durham are working with colleagues from Northumbria and Cleveland Police to investigate the series of crashes.

Firefighters were initially most concerned about an apparent leak from one of the tankers.

A foam blanket was put down as a precaution but crews, with the help of the tanker drivers, soon realised the leak was from a short stretch of damaged pipe and amounted to only about 25 litres of fuel.

The officers said the crews had to cut away a 20m section of the central barrier of the dual carriageway so vehicles could be pulled away from the crush around the tankers.

He said the cars and lorries had collided in a "concertina effect".

Mr Turnbull said more than 50 firefighters were called to the scene, along with a series of specialist appliances.

An an operation to decant 60,000 litres of fuel from the two stricken tankers was mounted following the accident.

The officers said this stretch of the A19 was notoriously prone to poor visibility caused by fog rolling in from the sea.

Durham Police has set up a casualty bureau for concerned relatives. The number is 0191 386 0098.